Vegan Dark Chocolate Cookies. Recipe

Some days I get stuck at what to post and keep postponing the work after looking at the number of pictures to edit. 160 pictures for a post are not fun. Not this post, but another one. Basically, when I am not happy with the setting or cannot figure out the composition, I keep changing it and hence a boat load of pictures. I get obsessed I tell ya.

Some of my best pictures though have been when I took the pictures of the food right before the meal like the Hummus pizza. I took like 10 pictures and since there was no other options I had to go with what I had, and luckily it worked:) I need to hire a part time photographer whose perks will include being able to sample all the food 😉

Today’s total was 65 pictures. You would think that by now I would have nailed the cookie setting. But I decided to change it a bit. bad idea:)

These cookies can be easily made glutenfree. Substitute the Spelt with glutenfree Oats or sorghum flour. Add more flour or substitute half the spelt with coarse Oat flour for crinklier cookies. I didnt add any extra refined oil/fat. There is fat/cocoa butter from the chocolate and the nut fat from the almonds. Theo’s 85% cacao has only cocoa beans, cocoa butter and mild sugar.

For variations, Add mini chocolate chips to amp up the chocolate. Add a teaspoon of instant coffee powder for a bitter mocha version.

Cailtin made a glutenfree version with 1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons brown rice flour instead of spelt. check the picture out on facebook here!

Another batch of these Vegan Dark Chocolate Chip cookies from Instagram.

For more crinkles/cracks in the cookies, substitute half the spelt with coarse Oat flour.

Add the dry to the wet and mix using a spoon to get a stiff dry dough.(add more flour if needed, depends on the fat content in the chocolate and milk used. Keep the dough almost dry/non sticky to touch, but not overly crumbly)

Chill in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes. (This will make the dough less sticky and firm it up. You can skip this step if in a hurry)

Make small flat balls and place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Bake in preheated 350 degrees F for 16 minutes.

Cool, eat.

(To make gluten-free, substitute the spelt with gf oats, sorghum or brown rice flour. You might need a few teaspoons more or less. The sticky chocolate will keep them together)

The below picture has been making the rounds on facebook. I dont have any proof that this is a volunteer taking pictures of death row dogs, but it is powerful picture, which captures the emotion and turmoil of the job.

Washington shelters might have low kill rate, but lots of others do not. Very adoptable, healthy dogs, pure breeds, even puppies are put down in several shelters, with some kill rates as high as 60%. That means, every other dog or cat going into the shelter might not survive tomorrow.

A good picture increases the chances of adoption by several folds. It is heartbreaking to take sweet and happy pictures of dumped pets, whose last day, might be the day with you.

Please Adopt! from shelters and rescues.

Please dont “Buy” a puppy from a breeder however reputable they claim they are. Find a pet on petfinder.com

Hey Richa, thanks for stopping by and leaving your valuable comments!The cookies look great…:)The last picture really caught my attention (for once more than food) I have a dog at my parents place and can totally understand her emotions! So wish I could do something for all those helpless animals out there!

Oh my goodness, what a wonderful recipe. And yes, that is a powerful picture, we did adopt our dog and cat from a shelter, but sadly, in our small apartment we can fit no more in. Thank you for sharing. 🙂

Oh man, I totally feel you on the photo editing. My trick – take the pictures, lock myself in the office, and edit them ALL. When I was in India, I had so many pictures to edit every single day, but I’m so happy I took the time to edit images in the evening before going to bed or I would have had so many to edit when I got home that it still wouldn’t be done.

Dogs in shelters – agreed. We got our German Shepperd at the shelter and were told later that she was a day away from being put down because she had an issue with other dogs and no one wanted her. If we had a larger home, we’d adopt endlessly. Perhaps when we own a home again, we’ll get a third. They all need so much love!

Good for you! I am so bad at organizing them too. Just lately i have been naming them and organizing folders. Looking up some old pictures without any name are a super pain.

i know right. the poor dog in a new environment with so many other anxious dogs around will not necessarily behave his normal self. So many dogs get put down because of that. our pom was returned to the rescue for being snappy, and now look at him getting stomped on by toddlers without a care.:)

165 photos to choose from for each post aaaaand you made the pottery and the cookies? Now I am crying like the last photo.Yes, I’ve seen that last photo, heart wrenching and powerful! Great post, Richa.

Calm down Gig, The pots from 6 years back when i did some pottery. I had hidden most of the pots so hubbs wouldnt break them. he managed to break a third of my creations. I finally moved some to an accessible location 🙂

I know what you mean about ending up with a ton of shots! Chris always shoots like crazy and then narrows it down to about 30 for me to choose from. It makes me very thankful that he does most of the photography- I would be totally overwhelmed! Your pictures look fabulous, even though you did change the setting. I especially love the one with your white stoneware cup in the background.

Thanks for posting that last photo. How heartbreaking. Hopefully more people will develop compassion towards animals. Btw, like I mentioned before, aside from your recipes, your photography inspires me. In fact, I’ve recently gathered some fabrics to add some texture and color to go with my dishes. 🙂 Anyway, I wish I’m a professional photographer just so I could sample your food hehe.

oh, I thought I’m the only one that takes tons of photos and changes the props and settings in the middle of the shooting, glad to read I’m not the only one. These cookies look and sounds delicious Richa!

Thank you Heather! i like the white board picture too. it doesnt have the eye catching oomph for the food photog sites, so i kept on clicking. kept on clicking. There are 3 more setting which did not make the cut 😉

there are several types of whole wheat flour depending on where you are located. Here we get whole wheat flour, whole wheat pastry flour and atta(indian whole wheat flour). In cookies, any of these can be used interchangeably. For chapatis, whole wheat flour makes a very dense dough, so whole wheat pastry flour or atta is a better option. in cakes, use whole wheat pastry flour and breads, use atta or whole wheat flour. whole wheat flour and atta have higher gluten content but are made with different variety of wheat.

Your photos always have so much depth and character to them – always a visual treat! 😀 But your instructions hit hard – the part about not eating all the chocolate chunks? That’s why I never make choc cookies! :p

I volunteer at a cat shelter and they don’t easily put animals down, but it still happens. There’s a farm nearby where the feral cats go, but it’s still heartbreaking to see older cats spend their whole lives in a cage whilst the humans walk by and squee at the kittens. That picture is so powerful because I think anyone who works with animals has felt that utter despair that what they’re doing is not enough, BUT I think if more *responsible* people adopted the world would be a truly blessed place. We have a few people drop off “difficult” animals or make up excuses for why they bring them to us, and then I have to go cry in the bathroom for a few minutes because an animal can’t negotiate for its family – the humans obviously stopped listening a long time ago. 🙁

This recipe looks awesome with the dark chocolate Richa. I have a friend who has a nut allergy – is there something else I can substitute for the almond flour? Just want to say I love your blog – your recipes and pictures are not only delicious but also inspire me to eat healthier. THANK YOU!!!

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